


There's No Preparing For This

by LeoValdezIsHot



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Alternate Universe - Magic, Animal Death, Animal Instincts, Animal Transformation, Bipolar Disorder, Blood and Gore, Brainwashing, Character Death, Dark Fantasy, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone is a bad person at at least one point, Everyone is gonna be so messed up, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gaslighting, Gen, Grief/Mourning, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I'll tell you not yet if the ending will be happy or sad, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, M/M, Mood Swings, Multi, Murder, Murder Mystery, Near Death Experiences, No Smut, Pete Wentz's Suicide Attempt (Best Buy Incident), Psychological Torture, Shapeshifting, Talking Animals, Teacher-Student Relationship, Temporary Amnesia, This may start lighthearted but I promise it's not, Torture, Witchcraft, well kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:09:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeoValdezIsHot/pseuds/LeoValdezIsHot
Summary: Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman.Four seemingly perfectly ordinary students, who are notorious for being the school's biggest pranksters - even though Pete's the only one who even has the guts to play tricks on the others.But one day they step into the Glittering River, a river surrounded by many mysteries and myths that no one has ever dared approach.Suddenly, their happy and carefree lives are changed forever as they are dragged into a world of murder, heartbreak and terror.(Updates are probably always on the weekend)(The relationships are not the focus and some of them don't even more than like twice.)
Relationships: Andy Hurley/Joe Trohman, Frank Iero/Gerard Way, Jenna Black/Tyler Joseph, Lindsey Ballato/Sarah Orzechowski, Mikey Way/Original Female Character(s), Mikey Way/Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump & Joe Trohman, Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz, Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie/Dallon Weekes, Spencer Smith & Brendon Urie
Kudos: 6





	1. Pete's Biggest Mistake

"Hey guys, I've got an idea for a new awesome prank!"  
Patrick looked up as Pete stormed into Joe's room, where the group was currently playing video games, even though they were actually supposed to work on a group project.  
But no one except for Patrick cared about that, and in the end they'd somehow convinced the short strawberry blonde to join them in Mario Kart.  
Patrick already regretted his decision.  
"Your last awesome ideas gave us all detention, Pete. If we, especially you, get any more, we could get expelled," Patrick said, nervously biting his lip.  
He was a very good student, but spending so much time with Pete hadn't done his grades any good.  
Andy and Joe were average at most subjects, but Andy was excelling at sports.  
And Pete was...well, he was also pretty good at sports, at least.  
The teachers had always tried to get Patrick to help Pete study, but they'd ended up doing...quite different things.  
Now the teachers were trying to keep them apart from each other, but that wasn't possible anymore.  
"Awww 'Tricky, come on, they won't expel us that quickly! I mean, Billie's still here and he almost slaughtered Ryan with that self - made guillotine of his. We only scatter toilet everywhere or accidentally lock the classroom doors, that's nothing in comparison..."  
Joe threw his controller away and looked at Pete, Andy's eyes following his gaze.  
" Well, I think he may be right. You have to see it from Patrick's perspective too.  
He's the best student in class, stirring up trouble wouldn't exactly do him any favours.  
Pete rolled his eyes but didn't respond, and leaned forward to stare at Patrick with his best puppy dog eyes, the ones he knew his friend couldn't resist.  
"I didn't even tell you yet what my idea is. You'll loveeee it, I'm sure you will."  
Patrick sighed, but finally he gave in.  
"Alright Petey, so what's your idea?"  
Pete's eyes lit up and he grabbed Patrick's hand, pressing a kiss on his cheek, which immediately darkened.  
"Oh, I knew you'd submit eventually, you always do... So, prick up your ears now and listen carefully..."

"You want us to throw students into the Glimmering River? The river we're not allowed to go near because it's potentially dangerous?," Andy gasped, his eyes wide.  
"Pete, I mean, most of your ideas have always been harmless, but this..."  
Pete shook his head, rising a finger to his lips.  
"It's just a river, Andy. How dangerous can it be? I'm sure the teachers are only exaggerating, and it's a completely normal, boring river."  
The Glimmering River was a small river next to the school grounds with unnaturally shiny and clear water, and you still couldn't see the ground.  
No one was allowed to go near it, most students thought it was actually cursed, but no one had ever told them.  
Patrick stood up, looking at Pete with a serious stare.  
"Still, even if it's a normal river, we can't just throw students in there!"  
Pete shrugged.  
"Why not? Everyone can swim."  
"Except for Gerard. And he doesn't know how to dance or karate either, he's never gonna make it anyway, it'd be a quick death..."  
He held his hands up defensively as he noticed Patrick's deathly stare.  
"It's alright, I was just joking! I was actually thinking of his brother, for rejecting me when I asked him out. And we don't have to throw him in. We can just ask him to step into the water, then everyone will see it's safe."  
Yeah, that didn't really lift Patrick's mood.  
"Fine, okay! Let's do it. But if something bad happens, it's your fault."  
Pete cheered happily, bouncing around like the five year old child he mentally was.  
"Oh Patrick, you won't regret it, I promise! This will be amazing. At first they'll shit themselves, but then they'll realize that it's just a normal river and boom, we delivered every single High School student from their fear of the deadly water."  
Andy and Joe looked each other, groaning.  
It would truly be an unforgettable day. 

"You know that the river is forbidden, right?," Mikey asked, cocking his head.  
They'd collected him a few minutes ago when he'd left the classroom and escorted him to the river.  
Pete softly patted him on the shoulder.  
"It's just a river, Mikes. Those are just rumors. We want to show that to everyone."  
Some students had gathered around the river to watch them, there was no teacher there to guard it because Joe and Andy had lured Mr.  
Weekes away by telling him that someone had blown up the water pipes.  
They were back now panting and nervously looking over the shoulder.  
Patrick was pacing around the group, his blue eyes darkened and clearly not comfortable with the situation.  
Frank, Ray, Gerard, Ryan and Spencer were also there, looking mesmerized at the river.  
Gerard was staring at his brother in fear, whispering something about ,,Drowning Lessons".  
"I won't. You can't force me to jump into a potential dangerous river," Mikey argued, crossing his arms.  
Pete's eyes suddenly darkened.  
"Alright, then I'll do it myself."  
He stepped forward, alarmed, Mikey turned around and tried to grab his sleeve, but lost his footing on the wet pebbles and both tumbled into the river.  
Immediately, Patrick stormed after them, his eyes wide and his heart beating with fear.  
He knew that was a terrible idea...  
The short boy jumped into the water, Joe and Andy close behind.  
As soon as the five students touched the surface, a loud crack resonated and lightning split the sky.  
Frozen to the ground, everyone stared at the river, Gerard trying to reach it but Frank holding him back.  
In the river there was nothing left but five colourful petals.  
They were gone.


	2. Wolf, Rabbit, Bear and Raven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another episode of Sascha's brain thinking:  
> Hey, I really like music, animals and gore, lots of it, so why not combine it?

A white blankness.  
That was all Patrick saw when he opened his eyes.  
The light was so bright it burned his eyes, so he quickly narrowed them to slits.  
His whole body hurt and when he tried to stand up his legs felt way too weak and short to support his body.  
What had just happened?  
He feebly remembered how Pete had brought Mikey to the forbidden river and asked him to step into water to show everyone that it was harmless, but Mikey had refused and Pete then wanted to touch the water by himself.  
Mikey had tried to hold him back, but then both of them fell into the river, Patrick, Joe and Andy jumping inside after them in fear.  
But...what happened after that?  
Patrick just couldn't remember.  
He didn't even know where he was right now or where the others were.  
Those were not the school grounds for sure, there were no agitated voices, the only things Patrick heard a soft breeze rustling the leaves and the birds singing, but they seemed much louder and sharper.  
His whole body felt smaller, weaker and his heart seemed to beat twice as often as usual, making his head spin.  
Was this what heaven was like?  
Was he dead?  
He had to be.  
But did he drown, or was the river truly cursed and killed him as soon as he touched its surface?  
And where were the others, were they dead too?  
His head hurt even more because of the many questions and he sighed, wanting to let his tired mind rest.  
Suddenly, the sharp sound of a twig snapping pierced his sensitive ears and opened his eyes again, struggling to stumble to his feet and almost falling over again, but finally managing to stand upright.  
For the first time he noticed that he was on a meadow with soft, green grass prickling his feet, which was edged by trees and bushes and dotted with beautiful, colourful flowers.  
"Who...who is there?," his voice sounding much lighter, but that didn't really alarm him anymore.  
A white shape stepped from behind an ash tree, its yellow eyes wide and confused and its silver claws scraping the earth.  
It was a wolf, a pure white wolf.  
Patrick was staring at it with wide eyes, all his senses alert, but he couldn't run away, it was as if he was frozen to the ground.  
Suddenly, the wolf's eyes lit up.  
"Patrick, that's you, right!?"  
Slowly, it stepped forward, its gaze growing hopeful.  
Patrick however backed away in fear.  
How did that thing know his name?  
How did that thing even speak?  
And how the heck did Patrick even understand it?  
What the fuck was going on?  
"Who are you?," Patrick choked out, shivering.  
"And what do you want?"  
Suddenly the wolf's eyes softened.  
Slowly, it sat down and looked at Patrick, its tail curled over its front paws and seemingly trying to look as harmless as possible.  
Patrick narrowed his eyes, confused by this animal's weird behaviour.  
"It's me, Pete."  
The white wolf stretched out a paw, looking at Patrick with wide, innocent eyes.  
Patrick's jaw dropped.  
Now he realized that the wolf's voice really sounded like Pete, and it didn't try to attack him, so...  
But it was impossible!  
Why would Pete be a wolf, why would they meet on this strange meadow Patrick had never even seen before?  
Maybe he'd only hit his head on a rock and was just unconscious.  
The wolf seemed to sense his uncertainty because it quickly added: "I don't know why we're here either. After we fell into the river, I next to that ash there. It took me a while to realize that I wasn't a human anymore. Once I got to my paws I looked at myself in a puddle, and then I found out I was a wolf."  
Patrick relaxed a bit now, that wolf really seemed to be Pete.  
But it was still so strange.  
Was it just a dream?  
Patrick had never believed in magic, so it must be a dream.  
A very weird dream, which he really hoped to wake up from soon.  
Pete scratched himself behind one ear, looking strangely at ease with the whole situation.  
"You're a rabbit, by the way."  
Patrick was sure he almost lost consciousness again at that moment.  
"What???"  
"Yeah," Pete stopped scratching himself and cocked his head instead, looking slightly amused.  
"Some sort of Pygmy rabbit if I'm not mistaken, you're really ridiculously tiny. Not like it's any different from your usual self...," he chuckled.  
Patrick swallowed hard and looked down at his feet.  
There weren't any feet anymore, instead there were two little paws covered in bluish gray fur.  
This wasn't real.  
It couldn't be.  
He was a blue rabbit, and blue rabbits didn't exist. Pete nodded at a small puddle next to a large patch of white daisy flowers.  
As hesitant as an alien, he bounced toward it.  
A round faced gray rabbit was looking directly at him, with wide, round and innocent hazel eyes and large, rounded ears.  
"So...are you sure that's real?"  
"Pretty sure. I mean, I can feel the grass beneath my paws, smell the flowers... Yeah.  
I guess that river wasn't so harmless after all, was it? When we fell into it, it must have teleportated us into this world and turned us into animals.".  
"Why are you so calm? We are in a strange place where we've never been before, and we are animals! Why can we even talk?" "Well, if there's a way in, there also has to be a way out. Maybe we only need to find another glimmering river." Pete's eyes glistened. Patrick sighed. Pete's always been way to carefree for his own good. The tiny rabbit pounced to Pete's side, pressing himself into his soft fur.  
"But...first we need to find Joe, Andy and Mikey! They also fell in. We can't go on without them. And then we have to get back home! Oh, the others must be so scared! Maybe they even think we're dead! My mom!!"  
Pete nodded slowly.  
"You're right. . Let's go."

"Joe! Andy!"  
How?....  
Patrick looked up just in time to see Pete running toward a large, brown bear who had a raven sitting on his shoulder.  
They'd been searching for the others for almost an hour now, and had found nothing but a lake and a great forest.  
It was a beautiful place, but something about it was off. They hadn't encountered any other animals, or humans. And why did Pete think that those two animals were Andy and Joe?  
"Pete, be careful, they could be dangerous!," he called, bouncing to his side.  
"Don't worry, those are definitely Joe and Andy," Pete responded, turning around with shining eyes after he'd licked the bear's cheek.  
It's eyes were soft and warm, while the raven's where sharper and alert.  
"Oh man, I already thought we'd never find you. Pretty crazy, this stuff, what do you think?" the raven croaked, and Patrick recognized Joe's voice.  
It fluttered down from Andy's shoulder and looked at Patrick with curious eyes.  
"Guess you're still the smallest one, huh?"  
"That's no time for jokes, we need to find a way out!," Patrick hissed.  
"And Mikey," Andy added with a voice that was much, much deeper than his usual butterfly voice, but Patrick still recognized the typical Andy note in it.  
"So you think the river was cursed too?," Joe asked.  
"Probably," Pete answered, looking at his paws.  
Andy sighed and rolled his eyes.  
"That was your worst idea yet, that's for sure."  
"It's like I smoked weed again. A lot of it. But it's very pretty for sure," Joe commented, looking around the forest with his dark eyes.  
"Stop with the drugs, Joe," Andy hissed. "That's inappropriate." Joe rolled his eyes and softly pecked Andy's cheek. "Love you too." "Why did I get together with you in the first place..." "Be quiet, all of you! We have to think now. We need to find a way out of here, and Mikey.  
The others must be so worried about us," Patrick said, his eyes widening at the thought of his beloved mother learning that her son disappeared because he jumped into the cursed river.  
" Alright, alright, we're all listening to you, you're the brainy one, after all," Pete said, patting him, but he underestimated his new strength and almost pushed Patrick into the ground.  
Patrick took a deep breath and then said,  
"Well, a glimmering river brought us here, so maybe we have to touch enchanted water again."  
"I saw a glimmering lake when I was flying over the forest looking for you," Joe chimed in.  
"Really?! Where?!," Pete asked, jumping to his paws.  
"Next to the big palace -"  
"There's a palace?," Andy gasped.  
"Yes. It's quite a long way, but it's there, a gigantic, beautiful palace next to a large river with glimmering water."  
The four animals looked at each other.  
"Mikey's pretty smart. If he saw it, he'll be heading towards the lake too.  
Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked that chapter!  
> I rewrote it like five times, but now I'm pretty happy with it.  
> And yes, every animal can understand the other ones in this world, because otherwise it would be really impractical.


	3. The Death Adder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard is being very, very selfish - and stupid.  
> And slowly, the story is getting darker.  
> Beware, there's much more darkness coming.

Gerard's eyes were still fixed on the Glimmering River.  
He couldn't believe what he'd just seen.  
It couldn't have happened.  
But yet it was true.  
The five students were gone.  
Frank was shifting next to him uncomfortably, his mouth wide open in disbelief, but he still hold Gerard back from going after them.  
"The river is truly cursed," Ray gulped, kneeling next to the river and watching the petals who were still floating on the surface, but slowly sinking down.  
It was clear that the petals represented Pete, Patrick, Joe, Andy and Mikey.  
Did that mean they were...dead?  
"I'm sorry, Mikes," Gerard whispered, breaking down on the soft grass.  
"I promised I would protect you."  
A picture of Mikey appeared in front of his eyes, his brown eyes soft and a slight smile on his lips - something he almost never possessed.  
Because of that many people thought he was cold and emotionless, but he was the the exact opposite.  
Gerard knew that he didn't reject Pete because he didn't love him, but because he knew that Patrick loved Pete, and he cared more about other's feelings than his own.  
Gerard's heart broke into a million pieces.  
His brother was gone.  
What should he do now?  
How should he tell his mother that he'd lost her baby?  
Gerard was close to jumping into the river too, but Frank still had a firm grip on his shoulder, holding him back.  
He turned around and looked directly into Frank's eyes.  
There was a deep sadness in his eyes and silent tears were running down his face.  
Slowly, he shook his head.  
,, "They're gone. There's nothing we can do, nothing."

"So...you don't know what happened to them after they fell into the river?"  
They were in the principal's office now, explaining what they'd witnessed.  
Ryan and Spencer were doing the talking, because the others were too shaken up to say anything.  
" Yes," Ryan mumbled, so quie that Gerard almost didn't understand him.  
Ryan was the teacher's most trusted student after Patrick had started hanging out with the troublemakers so much, and now he was blaming himself because he thought he should have prevented this.  
"It's not your fault," Spencer tried to soothe him, but Ryan was just shaking his head and fixed his gaze on his feet again.  
"It's just a terrible accident..."  
Gerard blamed himself too.  
He should have saved his little brother.  
He could have done it.  
He knew he could have.  
The principal sighed loudly, burying his face in his hands.  
"Boys, there's a very good reason for the river being forbidden. Ever since we can remember, it has been cursed.  
Everything that touches it gets transported into a different world, we don't know where, nobody's ever returned... I always knew it was risky to build a school so close to such a dangerous place... But I thought warning the students and placing a guard would be enough," he explained.  
A different world?  
But that meant...  
" So they aren't dead?," Gerard bursted out, his eyes lit up with hope.  
There was a chance that they could still get Mikey back!  
And the others too, of course.  
The principal looked at him, his eyes serious.  
"No, we're pretty sure they're not, but that doesn't mean they can return.  
Don't get your hopes up to high, Way," he reminded Gerard.  
Gerard narrowed his eyes.  
But still, he wasn't ready to give up yet.  
His heart filled with determination.  
He'd do anything to get his beloved brother back, he'd research that damn river all day and night if he had to.  
He'd find out its secret, and then he'd pull his brother out of this dark, dark world - whatever.  
He'd even jump into the river himself if that was the only way he could see Mikey again.  
"We'll get them back, I know we will," he muttered under his breath.  
Only Frank had heard him, glancing at him, his gaze doubtful.  
"I'll also have a talk with Mr. Dallon Weekes, he should have never left his position...," the principal continued.  
"It's not his fault! He's a great teacher, he only did it because he thought someone had destroyed the water pipes!," Ryan quickly chimed in, his head high and his eyes locked with the principal's.  
The principal raised one eyebrow and inspected Ryan curiously.  
Once he realized what he'd said, Ryan bit his lip and looked nervously at the ground.  
Gerard cocked his head and stared at Ryan.  
He'd jumped so quickly to Mr. Weekes' defense...why?  
After a moment of hesitation, the principal spoke again.  
"Well, we'll send some scientists to the river, maybe they'll find a way to reach the world without being stuck there. A while ago, we all could use it to switch between the two worlds, but now the link seems to be broken," he didn't sound hopeful at all, but his words still calmed Gerard a little.  
At least Mikey wouldn't be forgotten about so soon.  
"You're dismissed now. No classes, for a week at least."  
The students looked at each other, then Frank softly grabbed Gerard's wrist and lead him out of the office.  
"I'm sure they'll find a way to get them back," Frank said.  
Gerard's head whipped around and his gaze burned into Frank's eyes.  
"Mikey WILL return!"  
Frank blinked.  
"They will all return."  
"Mikey's the only one who's important! I promised to protect him"  
Slowly, Frank shook his head.  
"Let's get you home now."

Gerard's mother was already waiting for him, tears streaming down his face as she pulled her son into a hug.  
"One of my boys returned home safely," she choked out, holding him so tight as if she would never let him go away.  
Gerard figured the principal had already called and told her everything that happened.  
"Mikes will return too, I promise," Gerard whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder  
He'd lost Mikey, he'd get him back too.  
He had to.  
His mother pulled away, and looked at the only son she had left now.  
"I... I guess we have to eat first. I made lasagna -"  
"No," Gerard hissed.  
"No?"  
"I'm not hungry, there's something I have to do" squeezing past her, he stormed up the stairs, taking two at once.  
In his room, he immediately went to his old book shelf he barely used.  
He pulled out an ancient, large black book which had almost completely lost its cover.  
It was the book about fairytales his mother had given him for his twelfth birthday.  
The river really existed, so it wasn't a fairytale, but Gerard still hoped to find some information about it in there.  
Its name was Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.  
Mikey has once said that if he ever was in a band, he'd like that to be its name.  
"If I get you back, Mikey," Gerard mumbled, "I'll make your dream come true."  
The black haired boy pushed his black notebook with song lyrics and some old drawings from his desk and sat down, carefully opening the book. 

He'd read for hours and hours, but found nothing about the river.  
Frustrated, he threw the book to the ground, not caring if it got damaged.  
The book Mikey liked so much had let him down.  
Frantically he pulled at his sleeves, his eyes burning from reading so much.  
He didn't even know how late it was.  
But that didn't matter right now.  
Nothing mattered except for Mikey.  
Gerard quickly grabbed his phone and clicked on the contact he used the most frequently. 

Gerard: Frankie, do you have any books about mythology or witchcraft?  
Frankie❤️: Gerard's, it's 3 am, go to sleep. We all had a rough day.  
Gerard: No! I need to find out more about that river! I NEED TO GET MIKEY BACK! I promised to always protect him, and I failed.  
Frankie❤️: Gerard, we can't help Mikey or the others now. The experts are already working on it, they have much better chances than we do.  
Gerard: But I'm his brother!  
Frankie❤️: Go to sleep. Tomorrow, everything will look much better.  
Gerard: Well, if you don't want to help me, then you can just piss off! 

Gerard almost threw his phone against the wall, but decided against it.  
He opened Google, and searched for witches and wizards.  
That was the craziest thing he'd ever done, but he had to do it.  
If his own boyfriend didn't even want to help him...  
If the river existed, then magical people had to exist too.  
And if he waited any longer, the chances to ever get Mikey back where even lower than if he tried it now.  
Quickly, he found a woman who claimed to be a witch and who offered private sessions for people who had severe problems.  
She said her magic could cure everything.  
"Come on, help me," Gerard whispered, texting her.  
His eyes lit up in sync with his screen when he got w message back. 

The Death Adder: Hello, stranger. What is your problem?


	4. Not a Game

The palace with its river was much farther away than they'd originally thought.  
Now, the four friends were already walking the whole day, and it was slowly beginning to get dark.  
Getting tired, Patrick clumsily hobbled after them.  
He had strong legs, yes, but Pete and Andy were much bigger and stronger than him, and Joe had the ability to fly, which made their journey way easier.  
Patrick had tried to close his eyes and wake up from that dream many more times, but by now he had to accept that they weren't sleeping, that this was really happening.  
The tiny rabbit only hoped that the other students were okay, and Mikey, who'd fallen in with them, but whom they hadn't found yet.  
At least they now knew why the river was forbidden.  
Patrick would never again agree to do something that had emerged from Pete's weird brain, as much as he liked him.  
By now he was trailing behind so he caught up to them with a massive leap that almost drained him from all his leftover energy.  
"When..when are we there?," he panted.  
Pete looked over his shoulder and his gaze softened at the look of his exhausted friend.  
"I don't know, I see nothing but trees... But Joe should know, he's flying above us. Hey, Joe!"  
Patrick heard a loud croak, and a moment later the black raven shot through the leaf canopy like a cannon ball, landing safely on Andy's broad shoulders.  
"Is it far, Joe?," Andy asked with his deep bass voice that was still so unfamiliar to Patrick.  
Joe cocked his head and opened his beak to answer.  
"It's less than a mile for sure, but to be honest, I could do with a break.  
It's already night, we should rest."  
His black shiny eyes fixed on Patrick, who was leaning on Pete to stand upright.  
Pete and Andy looked at each other and nodded  
With an exasperated sigh, Patrick flopped down on the ground which was soft with pine needles.  
"Yes," he whispered, "that's a very good idea."  
Pete chuckled in response and curled up next to Patrick, pressing his warm flank against the petite frame, careful not to squash him.  
Andy laid down a few inches next to them, while Joe sat down on a pine branch hanging above them, tucking his head under one of his wings. It must be weird for the two of them to be a couple when they were completely different animals.  
Patrick snuggled up to Pete, happily breathing in his strong wolf scent.  
He'd liked Pete's scent when he was still a human, and now it was even better.  
Blinking, he looked up at the full moon again, shining through the branches.  
He missed his mother, and all his other friends.  
What were they doing them?  
Were they trying to get them back already?  
Was that even possible?  
Patrick hoped it was.  
He didn't really want to live as a blue rabbit forever.  
Suddenly, he heard Pete's stomach growl, and fear wormed through his belly.  
They hadn't eaten anything all day, and as animals, they couldn't eat human food, they had to find something else.  
And Pete and Andy were carnivores.  
"Petey?"  
"Hmmm???"  
"Will you...eat me when you get hungry."  
"Of course not, silly. I'm sure we'll get home tomorrow already, when we reach the river. And if not, we'll find something else to eat."  
He slowly drew his tongue over Patrick's ear, and he grew sleepier.  
Pete hoped he was right. 

"Intruders! What do you think you're doing in the Royal Forest!?"  
A shrill scream split the air, alarmed, Patrick scrambled to his paws, his heart beating so fast he became dizzy again.  
What was going on?  
Pete, Andy and Joe were awake too.  
The fur on Pete and Andy's shoulders was bristled and their teeth bared, while Joe had ruffled up his feathers to look twice as big.  
Patrick could do nothing like that, so he just quickly hid behind Pete, glancing to look who'd awoken them.  
It was a group of animals, the one that looked like their leader was a large, black female panther with blazing yellow eyes and a golden collar with a crown attached to it.  
Her ears were torn and slashed, her whole body was covered in scars and strong muscles were rippling under her thick fur.  
Patrick really didn't want to mess with her.  
The two other members were two identical looking male tigers.  
They seemed to be much younger than the panther, but they had the same collar and hungry look in their eyes.  
"Speak, intruders! What are you doing here? Only members of the Royal family and the Royal Guard are allowed to enter this forest."  
"We're very sorry," Andy explained calmly, not fazed by the guards.  
"We come from the human world, and we only want to reach the river to get back. Could you maybe explain us, where we are, and what exactly happened?"  
The panther narrowed her eyes and a growl escaped from her throat.  
Patrick swallowed in fear, but he couldn't run away, he felt like he was frozen in fear.  
"The human world? Stop with that nonsense! The link between Animalia and the human world has been blocked for months, nobody is able to get in or out! You're lying, just like that unicorn we caught yesterday. You want to steal the Royal Orb, right?"  
Drool was running down her jaws and her jaws gleamed menacingly.  
"We have to get out, this is pointless," Pete whispered.  
"Now."  
"Oh no, we won't let you go, thiefs!," the panther screamed.  
"Royal Guard, attack!"  
Before any of them could react, the three big cats were jumping at them, paws thumping on the ground and yowling filling the air.  
One of the tigers had leaped at Pete, pressing the stunned wolf down with his weight and ran his long, unsheated claws down his face, blood splattering against his chest fur and on the ground.  
Pete screamed in pain and tried to hit his attacker, but he wasn't trained and with the blood running in his eyes, he wasn't even able to hit him once, while the tiger now slashed at his belly and mocked his enemy.  
"Nooo!," Patrick shrieked, trying to reach his friend, but then he felt long teeth digging into his neck fur and the panther picked him up.  
Blood ran down his belly, he couldn't scream anymore and the world around him was getting blurry.  
He barely noticed how Andy and Joe were seemingly winning against the second tiger, pushing him backwards with paw swipes and beak flashing.  
So, that's how it was gonna end?  
Dying in a strange world, without ever telling his mother goodbye?  
"I'm sorry, mom," he whispered huskily, while everything was going dark.  
"I promised that I would never leave you."  
Suddenly, he heard muffled yowling and the grip around his throat loosened.  
"Chioni, there's no need to kill them! We can just throw them into the prison alongside the new one!"  
The panther dropped Patrick, with a dull thump he landed on the ground and frantically tried to scramble away, but his body was broken and he couldn't move.  
He saw a mighty white lion walking up to them, the three guards immediately stopped fighting and looked at him in awe.  
"Your majesty, these four were trying to steal the Royal Orb!," the panther panted, blood dripping from her jaws.  
"Then they'll go to prison. But we don't kill when we don't need to."  
The lion turned around and flicked his tail.  
"Guide them to my den. I will wait for them there, and then I'll decide what to do with them," he said, walking away.  
"Of course, your majesty..."  
The panther and her two companions rounded up Pete, Andy and Joe, all three of them were hurt, bleeding badly and could barely walk, and pushed them forward.  
Patrick gazed after them.  
"Wait, what is with him?," Pete asked weakly looking at Patrick with eyes that were filled with fear, pain and something Patrick couldn't quite figure out.  
"Dragging him with us would be pointless, he won't see another sunrise," the panther snarled, pushing them forward again.  
Soon, they disappeared, too weak to fight their attackers once again, too weak to get to Patrick.  
Patrick had never thought he'd die like that.  
They'd all thought it was just a game, Pete especially.  
Now they realized they wouldn't get home today.  
Perhaps never at all.  
They always wanted to form a band once they were older.  
Pete desperately wanted Patrick to be a singer, even though Patrick thought his singing was crap.  
Patrick didn't believe in himself at all.  
Not in school, even though his grades were great, since he struggled to pay attention and had to study for hours to get something done.  
He also thought he was fat and ugly and he absolutely didn't think he was a good singer.  
But every time Patrick was self conscious, Pete comforted him, told him that he was the most beautiful human in the world.  
And Patrick was there for Pete when he was experiencing his weird mood swings, feeling manic one day and a few months later utterly depressed.  
They didn't know why that happened.  
But they would never comfort each other again.  
Never.  
Blood was still flowing out of his body, and with it his soul, his life and his consciousness.  
He couldn't believe that less than a day ago, his biggest concern had been his school grades.  
That carefree life seemed multiple lifetimes away.  
He still wondered why the panther had accused them of some orb, and why they were so sure that the link was gone. But his brain was too tired to think. "I hope I'll meet you again in heaven, Pete. I wanted to tell you something important."  
Drops splattered on the leaves above him, it had started to rain and the water washed away all the blood, all the traces of the battle.  
Then everything went black, and Patrick lost consciousness.


	5. The Kingdom's Tale

Now he was definitely dead.  
There was no way he wasn't dead right now.  
That panther had completely ripped his body apart.  
It was over.  
He was dead, Pete, Joe and Andy were in prison, and Mikey was likely there too.  
Killed and imprisoned for something they hadn't done.  
Patrick wished he could have said goodbye to them and his mother.  
Suddenly, a sharp bolt of pain went through his body, so painful that it felt like he split into two parts.  
He tried to open his eyes and scream, but he couldn't move the tiniest bit, he was forced to keep laying down and endure the pain.  
Was that how dying felt was like?  
Patrick had always thought it was quick and painless.  
"Shhh... Keep still, little one. It's alright, you'll be better soon," a gentle voice said from far away.  
The pain ebbed away slightly, but the dull aching of his entire body remained.  
Patrick relaxed a bit and managed to open one of his eyes.  
A beautiful vixen was bent over him, with shiny, smooth reddish fur, a white tail tip and bright, soft yellow eyes.  
Her right front paw was smeared with something transparent, sweet - smelling that almost looked like honey.  
"Am I...am I dead?," Patrick asked with a husky voice that sounded like he hadn't used it in a long time.  
After being turned into a rabbit and teleported into this strange world full of animals who behaved just like humans, he was used to unusual things.  
But he still couldn't believe that he was still breathing, not after the black panther ripped his throat out.  
The vixen's whiskers twitched.  
"Not quite. But I really thought it'd lost you, you were unconscious for days and lost so much blood... It's a miracle you're still alive. I guess you're tougher than you look."  
Patrick closed his eyes again.  
He'd almost hoped he was dead.  
Then he'd be able to leave this cruel place behind at least.  
He quickly chased those dark thoughts away.  
Now he had the chance to save his friends and return home.  
After opening his eyes again, he drowsily looked around the place.  
It seemed like he was in a dark cave with stone walls and a stone floor and a small entrance where the sunlight was shining through.  
He was lying in a comfortable nest, made of moss, leaves and twigs.  
It was drenched with his blood, just like his gray fur.  
Patrick also smelled a sweet scent and realized that his body was covered in multiple different leaves.  
The vixen had treated him with medicine plants.  
That shiny stuff on her paw also had to be some kind of medicine.  
"Thank you," he rasped. "You saved my life."  
The vixen brushed against him carefully with her thick, bushy tail, and he grew sleepy again when he smelled her strong, flowery scent.  
"Oh, I just couldn't let any animal die. My parents were doctors. I may chose to learn about magic instead, but I still know some things about medicine."  
Patrick stared at the wall, his fur still prickled uncomfortably.  
He'd definitely keep some scars.  
The vixen looked at him curiously.  
"What's the matter with you? You look so miserable. Most animals are full of joy once they realize they're not dead."  
Patrick sighed heavily and turned his head to look at her again.  
"They captured my friends. That ,Royal Guard' guys or something like that. I'm afraid that they'll hurt them. We need to go home."  
The vixen had pricked her ears at the word ,home'.  
"We're not from here," Patrick explained quickly.  
"Me and my friends. We are from the human world, but then we accidentally fell into this Glimmering River, and now we're here.  
We wanted to go to that other Glimmering River next to the palace, but then the Royal Guard caught us, called us thieves and liars and immediately attacked us.  
They said we couldn't be from the human world because the link was broken...  
You probably don't believe me either."  
The vixen had sat down now, tail curled over her paws and seemingly deep in thought.  
After Patrick had finished speaking, she slowly shook her head.  
"No. I... I do believe you. I've always known that the king was wrong."  
Patrick pricked his ears, interested.  
Finally, someone who believed him!  
Maybe she could help him free the others.  
"Really? You do!?," he called, trying to jump to his paws, but another sharp bolt of pain forced him to lie down again.  
"Yes, I do," she stood up and walked up to his nest again.  
"And I'm going to help you free your friends. My name's Magissa, by the way."  
"Oh my god, thank you! Thank you so much! I am Patrick! Oh thank you!"  
The vixen cocked her head, her eyes glimmering bemused.  
"Yes, you really must be from the human world. Your name is strange, nothing like any name I've ever heard of."  
Patrick leaned forward.  
"Can you tell me what's going on, please? Why did they think we are thieves? What is that weird orb? What is going on with the river?"  
Magissa softly placed one of her front paws on his shoulder.  
"Calm down, Patrick, calm down. I'll tell you, but first you need to calm down, okay?  
Are you ready?"  
"Ready as I'll ever be."

"We animals have lived here in Animalia for a long, long time.  
And everything was alright.  
We were always connected to the human world through the Glimmering River, but almost no one knows of that connection, except for the Royal Family, their guards, and me.  
I guess it's pretty unbelievable for you that another world exists, just like yours, but with animals, right?  
But it's true.  
That's not happening inside your head right now, it's real.  
The kings used to travel to the human world and live among them for a while to find out more about them.  
The river worked both ways.  
They could return.  
Always.  
But then everything changed.  
The king's son, Chioni, fell into the river, and he never returned.  
His father concluded that the link between the two worlds was destroyed, but I think he's wrong.  
The river still works, but only in one way.  
An animal from Animalia can travel to the human world, but never come back, and a human can travel to Animalia, but can't return too.  
That's why you managed to come here.  
Anyways, since the Glimmering River is linked to the Lake of Life, the king is on high alert.  
Without the Lake of Life, all of Animalia would be destroyed.  
It controls all life here.  
Every drop of water is a life, and when an animal dies, the drop disappears and when one is born, a new one appears.  
The Glimmering River leads the new and old water drops to and from the river.  
Without that, no one could be born, and every animal that dies would be trapped in the living world, not able to reach the afterlife.  
So the king fears that when the river doesn't work properly, the lake doesn't either.  
But he still believes that the link is completely broken, which is not true.  
The orb is the Royal family's ancient relic.  
It works a bit like a crystal ball, the crystal ball can see every member of his family in it.  
So he knows his son is still alive."

Patrick remained quiet for a long time.  
He'd never thought that this world was in danger.  
It still looked so beautiful to him, not like a world which source of life may be destroyed.  
He thought of the king he'd briefly seen, and the son he'd lost.  
Now he could understand his behavior a bit better.  
He was mad with grief.  
"Magissa," he began, "you said you knew about magic. Can't you... I mean, try to repair the river."  
The vixen sighed loudly, grooming herself for a while before answering.  
"I suppose I could, but the king doesn't let anyone near the river."  
"I need to save my friends. They are kept prisoners inside the palace. Will you help me free them if I help you reach the river?"  
Magissa looked at him for a while.  
"I don't know. Do you even know if you can trust your ,friends'? If I know one thing it's that you can trust nobody but yourself. And me. I'm a good witch and saved your life after all."  
Patrick blinked.  
"Of course I can trust them! They are my best friends!"  
The vixen sighed.  
"Alright, I will help you. But remember, trust nobody, nobody but me. Almost everyone here is a backstabbing bitch. Always listen to me over everyone else. You must promise me this. Do you?"  
Patrick's eyes brightened up and his heart beat faster.  
He still wasn't used to his rapid rabbit heartbeat, so he got a bit nauseous again, but he didn't care.  
With a powerful witch by side, he believed he could actually save his friends.  
And why shouldn't he trust Magissa?  
She'd just saved his life, told him everything about Animalia and wanted to help him free his friends.  
And it was only natural that she was wary of his friends she'd never met.  
And maybe they could fix the river too, possibly save the entire world of Animalia and return home.  
He'd see his friends again, he'd see his mom again.  
Maybe they'd finally form the band they talked about for such a long time.  
"I do." Magissa nodded. "Good. Always remember that, and never disobey me." Patrick didn't even really understand her words, he was just so happy that she would actually help him. "However, you need a pseudonym, Patrick. Others will be suspicious of you if they hear you're unfamiliar name. I think the name Tachys should suit you just fine.  
And, before we go to the palace, I also need to train you," her eyes darkened.  
"That world is much more dangerous than it looks like, it's definitely a darker place than your human world. I need to train you, because if I don't, you'll not survive for longer than a day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be from Gerard's perspective again!  
> The next chapter from our little rabbit's perspective however will be extremely dark, since Patrick will see for the first time how Animalia really looks like after something went wrong with the river...  
> But I'm not gonna spoil too much.  
> You won't get a chapter on Halloween weekend since I want to write a Peterick Halloween Oneshot for that, if I get it done in time.

**Author's Note:**

> I like to torture my favourite celebrities...  
> This is an idea I've had for a while, and I really wanted to finally write this down.  
> There will be two POV's, one in the human world and one in the other world.  
> I hope you like it.


End file.
